It is increasingly common for smart phones, laptops, and other devices to contain communications interfaces that are capable of interacting with wireless data services such as 3G, WiMAX, and Long Term Evolution networks. For a variety of personal and technical reasons, it is increasingly common for some of these devices to be connected to multiple communication networks simultaneously. For example, phones may be equipped with two or more Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards to allow communication on two different cellular networks. Such multiple SIM card configurations may allow a single device to be associated with multiple user identities (e.g., two phone numbers associated with the same device), or they may allow the user to optimize call fees (e.g., using an alternative SIM card when in a new geographic area to avoid roaming fees on the network associated with a primary SIM card). In other circumstances, devices may be configured to communicate according to different networking technologies. For example, a device may include the ability to communicate with both cellular networks (e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) networks or Long Term Evolution networks) and local area networks (e.g., the 802.11 family of wireless networking protocols).
The ability to communicate via multiple networks allows for various different configurations that provide an enhanced user experience. For example, certain communication standards (e.g., Simultaneous Voice Long Term Evolution) provide the capability to provide voice service via a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network in parallel with data services provided by another network. However, in order to provide simultaneous access to more than one network, the mobile terminal may need to operate multiple radios, one or more for each network. Simultaneous operation of more than one radio may increase power draw, resulting in rapid depletion of battery reserves. These radios may also create interference for one another.
Although each individual network may be aware of the mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal may be aware that it is in communication with multiple networks, each network may not be aware of the complete connection status of the mobile terminal (e.g., that the mobile terminal is communicating via the other network). As such, the networks may not have sufficient data to optimally configure and control their connection to the mobile terminal. For example, a terminal may be connected to a first network continuously without an appropriate communication pattern to communicate with the second network, even though there is little traffic on the first network. In other scenarios, two radios may be active when a voice call is ongoing (e.g., in the case of Simultaneous Voice Long Term Evolution networks), causing increased battery drain and interference with one another. Similar problems exist for cases in which a single device communicates using multiple SIM cards.